Ajinkya Rahane (89 not out off 122 balls) and Shardul Thakur (36 not out off 83 balls) lifted India’s sagging spirits with an unbeaten stand of 108 for the seventh wicket in the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval. India went into lunch on 260-6, still behind by 209 runs.
Just a couple of hours earlier, everything seemed to be going Australia’s way. In the first over of the day itself, Scott Boland had sneaked through KS Bharat’s defence with his trademark nip-backer to shatter the timber. Bharat might have not showcased the best of defence, but that was a peach from Boland as he found the right line and length straight away. In the same over, Boland could also have dismissed Shardul Thakur but Usman Khawaja dropped a sharp chance at third slip. That dropped catch was perhaps the first sign that the rub of the green was turning India’s way.
In the 44th over, Shardul was once again dropped, with Cameron Green putting down a rather straightforward chance at gully off Cummins. The Australian team was left even more frustrated when a loud LBW shout from Green against Rahane was turned down in the 49th over. Replays later suggested it would have been the umpire’s call.
At the fag end of the session, India had a few more narrow escapes as David Warner fluffed a rather tough chance at first slip, with Rahane getting the reprieve. Perhaps Alex Carey, the wicketkeeper, could have gone for the catch. To make matters worse, in the last over of the session, Shardul was adjudged LBW, but when he reviewed, replays showed that it was a front-foot no-ball. On both the occasions, Cummins was the bowler. Incidentally, even on day two, Cummins had overstepped to see an LBW decision against Rahane reversed.
In-between all those close shaves, the duo of Shardul and Rahane did play eye-catching shots – flicks, pulls and drives. Rahane also showcased his class by steering a few to third man. Australia were still well ahead in the game. However, after navigating a very frustrating session, they needed to find the reset button. Meanwhile, India, with Rahane in touching distance of a 13th Test hundred, needed to keep chipping away.
Brief scores: Australia 469 (Travis Head 163, Steve Smith 121; Mohammed Siraj 4-108) lead India 260/6 (Ajinkya Rahane 89*; Scott Boland 2-47) by 209 runs